


Murder Cabin

by AgentSprings



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, The Creatures | Cow Chop RPF
Genre: Angst, Blood, Fake AH Crew, Fake Chop, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Immortal Fake AH Crew, M/M, Temporary Character Death, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-04-06 20:13:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14064687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentSprings/pseuds/AgentSprings
Summary: The Fake Chop crew has just been adopted by the Fake Syndicate. But when they are asked to spend the weekend in a cabin by the Kingpin everything goes wrong.





	1. The Start

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tophatgoat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tophatgoat/gifts), [we-killed-parker (wekilledparker)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wekilledparker/gifts).



> Warnings are for future chapters and the tags may change. This fic is gifted to my two friends Tophatgoat and We-Killed-Parker! Thank you both for all of your encouragement for this fic! <3

“Alright, everyone ready to meet the Fake AH Crew?” Brett asked, entering the main part of the warehouse and immediately being stopped by the sight of the crew. James was yelling and chasing a screaming Trevor around the room while Asher was crawling around the rafters with a camera filming them. Aleks was standing next to an on fire couch that Anna and Lindsey were just looking at while Joe attempted to put it out. Jakob was sitting at his desk with his headphones on ignoring everyone, which was difficult because the flaming couch was directly behind his desk.

“Oh Jesus Christ,” Brett groaned before yelling. “Hey! Fuckers!” 

Trevor froze causing James to slam into his back and take them both down. Lindsey and Anna both jumped into action and started helping Joe while Aleks just waved at him. Asher let out a shout before he fell from the rafters, getting caught by his harness and ropes that were wrapped around his chest. Jakob looked up and mimicked Aleks’ wave.

“Hey, Brett, what’s up?” Aleks asked, still standing next to the flaming couch that was now more under control.

“We’re meeting with the Fake AH Crew in 20 minutes to talk about joining the Fake Syndicate? What the fuck are you doing?”

“Uh, getting ready? Obviously?” Trevor said from where he was still laying under James. Brett raised an eyebrow and him before looking at everyone again.

“This is how you get ready? Asher are you tangled again? Aleks, help them put out the fire. James, get the fuck off of Trevor,” Brett said, running a hand over his face. 

“Maybe,” Asher said from where he was dangling from the ceiling. When Brett got closer he saw that one of his arms was trapped above his head and the other was holding onto the rope trying to keep the weight off of his trapped arm. 

“James come help me,” Brett walked over to the ladder to get into the rafters while James grabbed Asher’s feet and lifted, keeping the pressure off of his arm. Trevor and Jakob had now joined the firefighting team and it was almost completely extinguished. 

“Hurry the fuck up Brett,” James grunted.

“Oh don’t be a pussy, just hold him up for another minute,” Brett crawled out across the rafters and pulled a knife out of his boot to cut through Asher’s ropes. Before he cut through them he said, “Asher, what did we learn from this?” 

“That if I’m crawling around in the rafters I should make sure that someone is nearby to cut me down who isn’t Brett because Brett’s an asshole,” Asher says wiggling around angrily. 

“Calm the fuck down bitch. Stop wiggling,” James said, squeezing him tighter.

“I’ll take it,” Brett slices through the ropes in one move and lets James catch Asher as he falls before climbing back to safety. By the time he makes it back to the ground the fire is out and everyone is gathered around Asher watching the footage that he shot.

“Look, I even caught the exact moment Aleks lost all hope and set the couch on fire.”

“Alright you fucks. Do you at least know what you’re gonna say to the Fakes when they get here?”

“Joe and James are going to greet them at the door because James is the leader and Joe is the nicest. I’m going to be waiting inside with you to show them the warehouse. Lindsay, Anna, Trevor, and Jakob are going to be sitting at their desks looking like they’re productive,” Aleks said, stretching out on the ground.

“Yes, and James and Joe are going to be super polite and professional right?” Brett asked looking pointedly at them.

“Of course,” Joe said at the same time that James said, “Fuck no.”

Brett pressed his hands into his eyes and took a deep breath.

“James, why the fuck aren’t you going to work with me here?”

“Because it’s the Fake Syndicate they don’t need us to be nice and polite, they picked us because of our crimes and what we’ve done in this city. They’ve already picked us, now it’s just sealing the deal, Brett. I’ve worked in this city for ten fucking years Brett, they know me and they know us,” James rolled his eyes and got in Brett's face. Brett opened his mouth to argue with him but before he could his phone started ringing.

“Hundar. Mhm. Alright,” Brett answered the phone and then hung up immediately. “They’re two minutes out, go open the gate.”

“You got it, boss,” Joe grabbed James arm and dragged him out of the warehouse. Everyone sat there for a second before Lindsey and Anna herded Trevor and Jakob over to their desks and started talking about future heist plans. Brett reached down and held out a hand for Aleks.

“You know he’s right. The Syndicate wants us, hell they’ve wanted me and James since our days with the Hub. There’s not a whole lot right now that could fuck it up unless we literally kill one of them. And since I don’t think that James is about to pop a cap in Midas I think we’re in the clear,” Aleks took his hand and stood up. 

“I know, I just need this to go well because you know that we need money and supplies and back up and everything that they can provide us.”

“We got this Brett. And after we make this deal I’m taking everyone drinking!” Aleks flung his arm around his shoulder and grinned at him.

“So by that you mean you’re going to convince everyone to go out drinking and then you’re going to convince someone else to pay because you’re going to forget your wallet,” Brett said ruffling his hair.

“Exactly! I’m glad you at least know what to expect! And watch the fucking hair,” Aleks ran his fingers through his hair and pushed it back into position before sliding on his sunglasses. Brett went to mess it up again but was stopped by the sound of the main warehouse door being swung open and Midas’ voice.

“All that’s really left is us signing this deal Nova,” Midas said, walking into view with James next to him and Joe trailing behind talking to Mogar.

“Yeah, you fuckers have the chaos that we lads really want to bring into the syndicate,” Mogar piped up grinning at them all. Rimmy Tim and the Vagabond were following behind them.

“Well then, let’s make this deal official,” Brett said, stepping forward and clapping his hands drawing the attention towards himself.

“Hey Hundar, Immortal! It’s so good to see you again,” Midas gave them an easy smile and stepped forward to shake their hands. Brett matched his smile and shook his had before moving to greet the others. Aleks grinned at Midas, a little more mischief in his smile than Brett’s.

“It’s great to see you too. My office is this way,” Brett led Midas and the Vagabond to his back office with Aleks while James led Mogar and Rimmy Tim over to where the rest of the crew was.

“So these are your newest heist plans yeah?” Mogar said, spinning one of the plans around to face him.

“Yep,” Trevor said, leaning back in his chair.

“Maize bank? Ambitious. Do you have an escape plan?” Rimmy Tim poked his head around Mogar’s arm to study the plans.

“Helicopter from the roof. If we can get in and out fast enough we should be able to get in the air before the police deploy their own helicopters,” James said, walking over and leaning on the back of Trevor’s chair.

“Which won’t happen if you go in the front door,” Mogar pointed out.

“So we won’t be going through the front door. There’s a weakness in the security system involving the vents. We have an opening to get in through the vents and rappel down the 40-foot vent drop right into the vent,” Asher pointed out the vent that dropped right into the center of the vent.

“Who the fuck puts a vent in the middle of the vault?” Mogar asks.

“From what we can tell they had a civil lawsuit because they accidentally locked an extremely rich businessman in the vault and because it was airtight, he suffocated to death. The company he owned and his family sued the city and the bank and I guess this was their decision. It’s a 40-foot straight drop down, and there really isn’t anywhere to attach ropes so they’re assuming it’s safe,” Lindsey piped up.

“I assume you found a way to do it though?”

“Of course,” Anna said. No one else offered any further advice and instead, all just stared at Mogar and Rimmy Tim until they started to shift uncomfortably and look around.

“So, uh, do you enjoy working out of a warehouse, or do you wish that you had an office or anything else?” Mogar asked finally breaking the silence.

“Nah, if we worked in an office or an apartment or anything like that they wouldn’t appreciate it when we set things on fire or jump from the roof with our ropes or do any other dumb shit that we do,” Jakob said, glancing over at the now mostly destroyed couch. Mogar and Rimmy Tim followed his gaze and Rimmy Tim opened his mouth to make a comment but was cut off when the door to Brett’s office opened.

“Alright boys and girls, the deal has been set and it’s time for bevs,” Midas declared as he walked out of the room, followed by Brett, Aleks, and the Vagabond.

“Everything good boi?” Mogar asked.

“Everything is perfect boi,” Midas grinned and walked over to them all. “What’s all this?”

“Heist plans, something we’re working on for next month,” Brett said, nodding at the group. As soon as Brett nodded at them Aleks slammed his hands down on the table making the Fake AH Crew jump while Asher and Anna swiped the plans and stashed them.

“So, I heard something about drinks?” Aleks said, ignoring the guns that the Vagabond and Mogar had pointed at him in response to the distraction. James and Brett both pulled out their own guns while Trevor started to move towards Aleks to protect him. 

“Yes!” Midas said, grabbing Mogar and Vagabond’s wrists and pushing their guns down. “We’re gonna go to the bar and get some bevs. As long as you boys can avoid shooting one of our new friends.”

“Meet us at Shenanigans Bar,” Rimmy Tim said, grabbing the Vagabond’s other wrist and started pulling him towards the main door of the warehouse, Midas following quickly behind dragging Mogar.

“You got it, dude!” Aleks called finally grabbing James’ wrist and pushing his gun down. Brett lowered his own gun while James’ was pushed down and Trevor took a step back and relaxed again.

“You guys need to chill the fuck out,” Joe said as soon as the Fakes left.

“They could have shot him!” James defended himself, glaring at Joe.

“Dude, if they fucking wanted me or any of us dead they would have killed us a long time before now. I startled them and it’s a natural reaction, don’t be a pussy,” Aleks said, sitting down on the desk and facing them all. 

“Whatever dude,” Brett holstered his gun before he leaned the desk next to Aleks. “So they mentioned something that they ‘offered’ us during this deal.”

“What kind of 'offered'? Offered like we have a choice or offered like we have to do it whether we want to or not?” Jakob asked doing finger quotes at the word offered.

“The kind of offered that seemed to indicate that if we didn’t do it bad things would happen to us,” James said, running his hands through his hair.

“Alright, what do we have to do? Murder someone? Rob something?” Asher asked, climbing onto another desk and rolling his eyes.

“It’s actually a lot more mundane than that, shockingly mundane for the Fakes. They want us to spend the weekend at the Kingpin’s cabin, up in the mountains.”

“Why the fuck do they want us to do that?” Aleks demanded.

“Who the fuck knows, but we’re going to do what the fuck they want us to do because I say so,” Brett had the look in his eyes that said no one was going to win an argument with him now. 

“Fine,” James deflated. “But if anything happens it’s your fault.”

“I can live with that.”


	2. Reaching the Cabin

“Jesus Christ, could this get any creepier?” Trevor grumbled, climbing out of the van and glaring at the two-story cabin.

“It’s not that bad Trev,” Joe said, patting him on the shoulder before going to the back of the van.

“Yeah, c’mon Trevor. Don’t be a pussy,” Jakob already had his backpack on and was walking towards the cabin door. “It’s the Fake’s cabin, I bet there’s enough booze to drown an elephant. C’mon we’re basically getting a party cabin for a long weekend.” 

“Still super heckin creepy Jakob,” Trevor said, running after Jakob. Asher, Anna, and Joe grabbed a bunch of the bags from the car and followed behind them slightly slower, taking in the woods and the cabin.

“You fucks are sure that this trip isn’t a bad idea?” James said, following Aleks and Brett to the back of the van.

“Pretty sure,” Brett said, pulling out his bags and turning to him. “They’re signing us to the syndicate. If they wanted us to die they would never have pulled on this whole charade of bringing us in just to kill us off.”

“You don’t know that for sure though Brett. We’re crazy but they’re clever crazy,” James said, grabbing his arm and making him stop moving.

“James, chill out. We’re going to relax this weekend, drink and have fun with our crew while we celebrate our entrance into the syndicate,” Aleks said, tossing James’ bag at him before pulling his own bag out. “Plus think of all the times we’ve almost died before, there’s no way that we’re gonna get taken out in such a cliche way as a cabin in the woods.”

“Yeah, James you need to relax. C’mon, let’s go kick whoever took the best room out of the room,” Brett threw his arm around James' shoulder and led him up to the cabin.

“I bet it’s fucking Trevor,” Aleks said, throwing his backpack at Brett and running for the house. 

“Aleks you shit! Children. I’m dating children,” Brett barely caught the backpack and flipped off Aleks’ back.

“Aww am I a child Brett?” James pouted at him before shoving him slightly.

“Only because you’re so scared of a cabin in the woods honey.”

“Dick!”

“Pussy,” Brett reached up and ruffled his hair before pressing a kiss to his cheek. James shoved at him again before yelling after Aleks.

“Wait up Bitch!” 

“Catch up you old fucks!” Aleks called back at them poking his head back out the door of the cabin. James and Brett flipped him before hurrying up slightly to get to the door. As soon as they entered the room they could hear the yelling of their crew as they explored and probably destroyed the house.

“Oh no. They’re going to destroy the place,” Brett dropped the bags at the door and stared in horror at the chaos that already was happening. Asher had somehow already gotten a climbing line suspended from the rafters over the main room, and Jakob was trying to jump to it from the second-floor hallway. Anna was sitting in the rafters with a set of knives and was playing with them. Trevor and Lindsay were not in immediate sight and Joe was laughing and egging on Jakob.

“I mean, it’s the Fakes’ place. I’m sure it has seen worse than this babe,” Aleks said, picking up the bags that Brett had dropped and leading them upstairs. Aleks led them to the master bedroom of the cabin, one of three bedrooms in the building.

“Welcome to our room for the next few days,” Aleks threw his arms out and spun in a circle. 

“How the fuck did you see this room before we got up here? You were only in here for like three minutes before us,” James asked, walking to the bed and throwing his bag on it.

“I didn’t. Joe scoped it out for us and told me where it was,” Aleks grinned and threw himself onto the bed next to James’ bag.

“Remind me to thank him later,” Brett said, poking his head into the en-suite and admiring the massive bathtub.

“You could probably thank him by making dinner and making it edible,” James said, leaning on the window sill and looking out at the side yard.

“That’s thanking everyone, not just Joe,” Aleks pointed out, sitting up and starting to pull stuff out of his bag.

“Eh, no one died on the ride up here so they deserve a reward. As long as nothing is destroyed before dinner,” Brett walked back into the main room and also started pulling things out of his bag.

“James! Catch,” Aleks suddenly tossed a small package towards him. James whirled around and barely caught the package.

“Dude! What the fuck?” James yelled at Aleks, even as he was opening the package. Once he got the package open a brand new heavy handgun fell into his hands. It had a base of black with deep red highlight colors and the Fake Chop logo emblazoned in gold on the handle. James blinked at it for a second before looking up at Aleks and holding it up. Brett let out a low whistle.

“Damn Aleks, is that what you needed that gold for?” Brett stepped forward to examine the gun. 

“What gold? How long were you planning this?” James looked confused and was looking back and forth between Brett and Aleks.

“Well,” Aleks scratched the back of his head and looked at the ceiling. “The gold was my share of the shit that we stole during our first heist after the hub. I gave it to Brett to keep it safe right after the heist and I was waiting to do something special with it. When the Syndicate first reached out to us as us and not as a part of the Hub I decided it was time to start making that.”

James looked back down at the gun and turned it over in his hands, admiring the colors and the gold symbol. He looked up at Aleks and tried to suppress a laugh. Aleks snapped his head down to look at James and glared at him, causing him to burst out into deep laughter.

“What the fuck asshole!” Aleks yelled, throwing his bag at him. James caught it and kept laughing before he walked over to his own bag and pulled out a package that he tossed to Aleks. Aleks looked down at it before he also started laughing. 

“I wasn’t expecting you to have something for me, but I had something for you, for our partnership, reaching a new standing,” James said watching Aleks open the package. Aleks ripped it open to reveal a set of combat knives, also colored red and black with the Fake Chop logo in the handle in gold. Aleks tossed them up and caught them a few times before he threw one and embedded it in the wall next to the door.

“Oh you two are just the same fucking person aren’t you,” Brett said with a grin. They both grinned at him and admired their individual weapons.

“Oh James, that gun will work with all the ammo that you brought so if you want to practice with it you can.”

“In the spirit of love and the bullshit that is happening in this room right now I also have gifts for the two of you,” Brett walked back to his bag and pulled out two boxes, one smaller than the other. He handed Aleks the bigger box and tossed James the other one. They both paused and looked at the boxes, then each other, and then at him.

“Brett, you old softhearted fuck,” Aleks said, dodging out of the way of the smack that Brett aimed at the back of his head. He pulled open the box and paused when he saw what was inside. He pulled out a long chain necklace with a very small Fake Chop logo pendant dangling from it. James opened his excitedly and pulled out a diamond bead bracelet and there was another very small fake chop logo dangling from it.

“Oh Brett,” James studied it for a second before turning to him. Brett grinned at him and held up a hand to stop him from saying anything else.

“I know I don’t have the same mind-reading bond that the two of you have with each other but I’m so proud of both of you for everything you’ve done with this crew, and I love you.”

Aleks pulled Brett into a hug that James jumped in on immediately.

“Dude, this is amazing and you’re fucking putting this on me right now,” Aleks pressed the necklace into Brett's hand as they broke the hug before turning and facing away from him. Brett slid the necklace around his neck before pressing a kiss just above the chain. James grinned at him and shoved the bracelet into his hand and his own hand into Brett’s other. 

“Do you really need me to put a bracelet on your wrist?”

“Nope, but Aleks didn’t need you to put the necklace on him either.”

Brett rolled his eyes but smiled at him and slid the bracelet onto his hand. He didn’t let go of James’ hand though and instead kissed each of his fingers and then the back of his hand. Aleks had moved around to stand behind Brett and kiss at the back of his neck while James leaned forward to catch his mouth in a kiss. Before Brett could return the kiss the door to the room flew open.

“Brett, Brett, Brett. It’s time for you to make us dinner. Also, Jakob has managed to break a couch, Trevor injured himself, Anna won’t come down from the rafters, and I haven’t seen Lindsey since we got here. Oh and Joe owes me money now. Thanks for being horny bastards!” Asher said in one breath before turning on his heel and leaving the room. 

Brett rolled his head back to lay it on Alek’s shoulder before he loudly yelled after Asher, “I don’t remember adopting six children you fucks!”

“That’s not even a little bit true, you adopted them the exact second that you agreed to join us,” Aleks said, pulling away from Brett, sliding his knives into his pants, and walking towards the door.

“I got Jakob if you have Trevor,” James said, sliding his gun into the back of his pants and following Aleks.

“Wait that leaves me with everyone else. Wait, you fucks, they’re your children too,” Brett hurried after them. Aleks laughed at him before they all got to the top of the stairs and saw the chaos the crew had brought on the house. Jakob was standing on a broken couch that was also now on fire. Trevor was watching the fire and holding his arm to his chest, while blood dripped down between his fingers. Joe and now Asher were trying to put the fire out while yelling at Jakob. Anna was standing up in the rafters and laughing at the boys down below.

“I’m giving you custody,” James said, before yelling down at them, “You fucks!” 

“Trevor, what the fuck did you do?” Aleks hurried down the steps followed by James and Brett.

“I, uh, I broke a china cabinet, and cut open my arm,” Trevor said, turning away from the flaming couch and facing Aleks. A moment later Lindsay came around the corner from the kitchen and tossed Brett a fire extinguisher. Brett took it without breaking his stride and immediately started spraying both the couch and Jakob while Asher and Joe flung themselves away from the blast of foam. 

“Catch,” Anna said, giving Asher a second to hold out his arms before she jumped down from the rafters. 

“Ok guys, what have we learned from this?” Brett asked as he finished putting out the fire. Jakob pulled himself off of the ruined couch and wiped off his face while coughing. 

“That you’re a killjoy,” Trevor said letting Aleks poke at the cut in his arm.

“You already knew that. But what else you learned is that none of you are allowed to touch anything in this house. I know we’re in the syndicate now but seriously guys this is still important.”

“C’mon Brett. They did pick us because of the destruction that just seems to follow us everywhere,” Joe said, dusting off Jakob.

“Yeah Brett, c’mon you owe us all dinner. An edible one this time you fuck, I remember that shit you made us for Christmas,” Aleks said, letting go of Trevor and walking into the kitchen.

“I hate all of you. I would not be sad if you died,” Brett said following after Aleks, flipping off everyone behind him.

“Brett, Brett that’s a lie. You were freaking the fuck out when Trevor got shot the first time. And when Jakob got kidnapped. And every time Aleks got kidnapped. And-”

“Alright! I fucking get it you fuck. What do you want to eat? I’m making pasta so if you don’t fucking want that you can fuck off,” Brett pulled open the pantry and started pulling stuff out. Aleks sat on the counter and watched him work while Lindsey sat Trevor down at the table and started bandaging his arm.

“You’re fucking lucky Trev, you missed everything important and it’s not that deeps so as long as you take care of it you should be fine. Maybe you’ll have a scar if you want it but if you take care of it you can avoid it,” Lindsay said as she wrapped up his arm. Brett cooked with the help of Anna and the “help” of Aleks while James, Joe, and Jakob found the dishes and set up a table in the front dining room. Asher was still in the living room trying to clean up the living room mess.

“Alright! Food!,” Brett called as he carried a pot of pasta into the living room. Aleks and Anna were following him carrying pasta sauce, a salad, and garlic bread. Everyone jumped up and trailed in after him setting up the table. Brett sat down at the head of the table with Aleks and James sitting on either side of him. Jakob and Joe sat on James’ side of the table while Trevor, Lindsay, and Asher sat on Aleks’ side of the table. Anna took the other head as every other seat was filled in. Everyone filled in a plate and it was general chaos until Brett stood up and clapped to get their attention. 

“Alright crew, we did it and now we really get to celebrate. So I propose a toast to us,” He lifted his cup and the crew followed suit. “Here’s to cheating, stealing, fighting, and drinking. If you cheat, may you cheat death. If you steal, may you steal a woman’s heart. If you fight, may you fight for a brother. And if you drink, may you drink with me.”

Everyone raised their glasses and cheered with him before digging into the meal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ryanthemadbitch.tumblr.com/)


	3. Shit Gets Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ryanthemadbitch.tumblr.com/)

“Alright, what’s everyone’s plans for tonight?” Lindsey asked.

“Exploring!” Jakob said, gesturing at Trevor. “The two of us are going to explore the woods around here and see if the Fakes have anything weird hanging around here.” 

“We are in a spooky cabin and the first thing you want to do is split up the group? Are you insane?” James demanded, glaring at him.

“Relax James, we’re not in a horror movie,” Aleks said, throwing a piece of bread at him.

“He’s kind of right though, we don’t know what’s around here. Take Asher and Anna with you,” Brett said, reaching over and catching James arm before he could retaliate against Aleks.

“You got it, dad!” Trevor said, grinning at him before launching a spoonful of noodles into his face. Jakob immediately picked up his whole plate and smacked it into James’ face. 

“Oh, it is on you fucker!” Brett yelled, grabbing his plate and launching a handful of food back at Trevor. Trevor yelped and ducked behind Aleks causing the food to his Asher in the face. Within seconds they had naturally dissolved into three teams, Joe, Jakob, and Anna; Asher, Aleks and Trevor; and Lindsey and Brett on their own.

“I hate shit on my face what the fuck!?” Aleks yelled, hiding behind Trevor and providing him with ammunition. They threw food at each other for a few minutes before Jakob ended the whole thing by dumping the entire pot of sauce over James' head before running to the stairs.

“You motherfucker! What the fuck same team!” James yelled standing in a pool of alfredo sauce. Everyone else was dying of laughter and Jakob made it to the landing before the second half of the stairs and was looking down at him and laughing.

“All’s fair in love and war my friend!” Jakob said before running the rest of the way upstairs.

“You Asshole!” James said, running after him.

“Alright, I hope no one else had plans because now we have to clean up this shit,” Aleks said sitting down in a chair and pulling a noodle off of his shoulder.

“I’ll make a deal with you. If you let the four of us go exploring tonight, while the five of you clean up then tomorrow we’ll make breakfast and clean up after that,” Anna said, “Especially because this was not our fault.”

“Fine, but breakfast better be the best thing ever,” Brett waved them off before walking towards the stairs grumbling. Aleks stood up and followed after him, pulled off his hoodie and shaking out his hair.

“We should change and make sure Jakob isn’t dead before we head out. Joe, want to come with us?” Asher said, brushing off his shirt and pulling salad out of his hair.

“Yeah man, anything to avoid this mess.”

After a quick trip upstairs for clean clothes and to make sure James hadn’t murdered Jakob they were off.

“Be careful! You don’t know what kind of shit the Fakes have up here. Stay together!” Brett called after them from the dining room. 

“We will!” Trevor called back, waving at Aleks and James who were cleaning up the destroyed couch. They both flipped him off before turning back to the couch.

“Alright, where are we exploring?” Asher asked as they left the cabin.

“I want to go look at that cool river we saw when we were driving in,” Anna said.

“Me too,” Asher said.

“I want to go poke around in the woods and see what the Fakes are hiding around here,” Jakob said, pointing at where the trees got thicker in the opposite direction of the river.

“So do I,” Trevor said while Joe nodded.

“Cool, Anna and I will go explore the river while you three explore the woods. We don’t tell Brett we split up.”

“We’re not technically splitting up. We’re not alone,” Jakob said, before leading Trevor and Joe into the woods. They spent the next few hours poking around in the woods looking for anything interesting that the Fakes may have hidden. The only thing that they found was a small weapons cache about a mile and a half from the cabin, which Joe insisted they not steal from. It was closer to midnight before they made their way back to the cabin, where James and Brett were sitting on the front porch waiting for them.

“Oh good, you made it back. This one was about to send out a search party,” Brett said as they approached the house.

“You worry too much, we didn’t even go two miles but we found a storage thing of weapons,” Jakob gestured back towards where they came from.

“Where are the other two?” James asked, keeping his eyes on the woods behind them.

“They saw something and wanted to check it out, but I was tired and wanted to come back so we split up. They should be back soon,” Trevor said quickly, before hurrying into the cabin.

“C’mon James. Don’t worry that much, we’re trained professionals. They can handle being alone in the woods for a few minutes,” Joe clapped him on the shoulder before following Trevor inside while Jakob trailed behind him.

“They’re right you know. It’s just a cabin and some woods. Asher and Anna have faced much worse than some trees and they’ve been fine. If they’re not back in the morning we’ll go out looking, ok?”

“Fine, I just have a bad feeling about all of this.”

“C’mon, if we keep Aleks waiting much longer he’s going to lock us out of the room,” Brett gently took James’ arm and led him back inside.

“Alright,” James let himself be led, but looked back at the woods until the door shut and cut off his line of sight. Brett led him upstairs to their room and they got themselves ready for bed. Aleks was already in bed and was fiddling with his knives while he waited. 

“About fucking time. Did they all make it back?”

“Everyone but Asher and Anna but the others said they were right behind them,” Brett flopped down on the bed.

“Alright, is he going to calm down or is he going to pace like that all night,” Aleks pointed one of his knives at James. He turned to snap that he was not pacing before he realized that he was, in fact, pacing from the door to the big window, then back to the door.

“Fuck you,” He finally said, dropping his shoulders and sitting on the bed next to Brett. “This whole cabin feels wrong, like a bad horror movie.”

“Well, I don’t believe in ghosts so they can fuck right off,” Brett said, rubbing his back.

“It doesn’t feel haunted asshole, it feels like a fucking slasher movie. You know, a group of people go out to the woods and they all split up and people start dying.”

“James, we’re not in a slasher movie. We’re in real life. And we’re criminals who know how to defend ourselves. Let’s all just go to sleep, or do you need a blowjob to calm down?” Aleks threw a pillow at the back of his head before turning and putting his knives away.

“Not from either of you assholes,” James said, taking the pillow and smacking Brett with it before throwing it back at Aleks.

“What did I do?” Brett demanded, rolling out of reach of any more attacks.

“You’re not on my side,” James said, standing up again and stripping to his boxers before climbing into the bed next to Aleks.

“Don’t be a child,” Brett said, climbing in on his other side.

“Fuck you,” He said before he wrapped his arms around Brett’s waist and buried his face in his shoulder. He could feel Aleks curl into his back and after a second he whispered into Brett’s neck, “I just don’t want to lose another crew.”

He could feel Aleks tense up behind him before his arm wrapped around his waist. 

“It won’t happen again. And you’ll never lose us. Now go the fuck to sleep, tomorrow you can give Asher and Anna shit for making you worry.”

James left one arm wrapped around Brett and laced the fingers of his other hand with Aleks’. He took a deep breath and let himself relax between the two of them, slowly falling asleep not quite able to shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The next morning he woke up alone in bed and had a moment of panic before he saw Aleks sitting at the window and heard the shower running.

“Jesus Christ dude, I thought you were gone,” James said, slumping down on the bed.

“Nah man, you can’t get rid of me. Our fucking boyfriend is taking forever in the shower though,” He yelled the last part towards the bathroom door and James heard a muffled, “fuck you too bitch,” from Brett.

“You know, you can just join him in the shower,” James said, throwing the covers off and standing up.

“I mean sure I could have, but what’s the fun in that,” Aleks wouldn’t look him in the eye and was flipping a knife around his fingers. James narrowed his eyes but let it go.

“I’m going to go see if everyone else is awake,” James walked towards the door, only stopping to grab his jeans and pull them on. Aleks trailed after him, sliding the knife into his pocket. As they walked out of the room they saw Joe and Jakob standing in the hall whispering to each other.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” James asked. Jakob jumped when he saw him and immediately looked guilty while Joe’s face went blank.

“Nothing, why would anything be up, maybe something is up with you?” Jakob stuttered out before he clamped his mouth shut and looked at the ceiling.

“Yeah, ok, Joe?” James turned to his best friend. Joe’s face flashed with concern for a second before his shoulders dropped.

“Asher and Anna never came back last night,” he admitted. James froze and he could feel Aleks move closer to his back.

“What do you mean they didn’t come back?” Aleks asked.

“I mean, Asher wasn’t there when we woke up and Anna wasn’t in her room and they aren’t in the house.”

“What are we doing about it?” Aleks rested his hand on James' shoulder and it jerked him out of his shock.

“What the fuck? I can’t fucking believe it you fucks! I told you something was wrong!” James yelled throwing his hands in the air before turning to face Aleks. “I fucking told you.”

“Yelling won’t fucking fix anything,” Aleks snapped at him, before turning to face the others. “Gather everyone, right now. Dining room table.”

Jakob turned and ran down the stairs and hurried into the kitchen. Joe turned and poked his head into one of the other bedrooms while Aleks dragged James back into the master bedroom.

“What the fuck are you doing? We need to go out and look for them!” James demanded, ripping his arm out of Aleks’ grip.

“Calm the fuck down asshole. We’re going to go look for them but we can’t run out there without a plan. Take a deep breath, I’m going to get Brett. You figure out what we want to do,” Aleks turned and walked into the bathroom. James heard Brett scream in surprise for a second before he was silenced by Aleks’ hushed and hurried talking. 

James buried his face in his hands for a second before he walked over to his bag and pulled out a few of his guns. He pulled out his new gun from Aleks and a rifle that he swung over his shoulder. 

“James?” Brett asked from the bathroom door.

“You better get ready, we need to head out soon,” James stood up and walked out of the room without looking at him. He could hear them both calling after him but he ignored them and walked down to the dining room table. Everyone else was sitting around the table holding their respective weapons close.

“Alright. Last night Asher and Anna didn’t come back, we need to go find them. We’re going to break into teams to search through the woods, don’t leave your partner and keep your weapon ready. We don’t know what happened to them and we need to be ready for anything.”

“We have four walkie-talkies, each team will take one and check in every 5 minutes. Don’t go more than a mile out,” Brett said from the landing of the stairs. James turned to face him and just barely caught the walkie-talkie that was thrown at him.

“Where’d you last see them?” Aleks directed the question at Trevor, leaning against the rail next to Brett. 

“They wanted to check out the river.”

“Alright,” James took control again, turning back to the group. “Trevor you and Aleks are one team, Jakob and Brett are another, Joe’s with me. Lindsey, can you stay here and keep an eye out in case they just got lost and wander back?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“Perfect. Alright, we’re wasting time. Let’s go,” James turned and walked towards the door with a purpose, ignoring everyone else and trying to calm himself. He could hear Joe hurrying after him and only slowed his pace once they were outside.

“It’s going to be ok James,” Joe said, pulling out his own pistol and prepping it.

“You don’t know that. They could be dead out here and everyone is acting like they just wandered the fuck off.”

“Maybe they’re dead, maybe they’re lost, either way, you don’t have to be a dick to the crew. And you’re not exactly acting like yourself right now either. You wouldn’t even look at Brett and Aleks. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Shut the fuck up,” James said, gripping his pistol tighter. “I’m just stressed, alright. I’ll fucking apologize once we find Asher and Anna and bring them home.”

“Fine, but I’m holding you to that.”

They walked in silence for another ten minutes, making sure to follow through with their every five-minute check-in. So far no one had seen even a sign of their missing friends and James was getting more worried. 

“Are you sure they went this way?” He finally broke the silence to ask.

“Positive man, look I see a break in the trees up there, maybe it’s a clearing or the river.”

“I fucking hope so,” James grumbled. They finally broke through the trees and as they glanced around they froze. Hanging from two trees on the other side of the clearing, were the bloody bodies of Asher and Anna.

“Shit,” Joe breathed out, lifting his gun and glancing around. “James, you need to call the crew.”

James nodded once, his eyes not leaving their bodies while he pulled the walkie-talkie off of his belt.

“We- we found them,” He said, taking a deep breath before continuing. “We fucking found them and shit it’s not good. They- They’re fucking dead, over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ryanthemadbitch.tumblr.com/)


	4. Whom the Fuck

“What the fuck do you mean they’re dead? Where are you? Over,” Brett demanded. James barely heard him as he moved closer to the bodies. Joe reached out and grabbed his arm, dragging him back to the tree line.

“Joe what the fuck! We need to see-”

“What do we need to see? They’re dead, we don’t know what killed them, and you’re walking into the clearing like an idiot,” Joe snatched the walkie-talkie from his hand and lifted it to his mouth. “We’re about 15 minutes west of the house, towards the river, in a giant clearing.”

There was a moment of silence before Aleks’ voice crackled through, “Got it, we’re closest. Be there in five minutes. Over and out.”

“We’ll be there in ten minutes, we’re a little further out,” Brett said, “Hang tight, we’ll be there soon. Over and out.”

James crouched down at the edge of the tree line and lifted his gun to peer out into the clearing, trying to avoid looking at the bodies. Joe took up a position similar to his at a tree a few feet away. They both waited and kept their eyes on the clearing, not speaking and avoiding looking at their dead friends.

After a few minutes, they heard a rustling in the trees to the left of their position and they both of them snapped their weapons up to point towards the spot. After a few seconds, they saw a familiar blonde head appear from the bushes and scan the area.

“Oh Jesus Christ,” James breathed out before hissing. “Aleks!” 

His head snapped over to them and he disappeared back into the woods. A few moments later he appeared next to James and crouched next to the tree next to him. 

“Trevor’s about a quarter mile back waiting for Brett and Jakob. Have you gotten close yet?” Aleks whispered holding his own pistol in one hand and a small knife in the other.

“Not yet, I fucking told you this place was wrong,” James glared at Aleks. Aleks glared back for a second before slumping against the tree.

“Shut the fuck up. We don’t have time for this. Are we going to leave them there or take them back?”

“Why the fuck would we leave them there?” 

“Because so far you haven’t even gone close to them, do you want to go get them?”

“Should we wait for Brett?” Joe cut in, trying to diffuse the growing argument. 

“Yes,” James jumped on the suggestion immediately. “We should wait for everyone else.”

“Fine, I’ll be over there,” Aleks’ gave James a concerned glance before disappearing back into the trees.

“You’re going to have to do some serious ass kissing when we figure out what’s going on,” Joe whispered to him. “You need them, especially right now.”

“I know, I know. I’ll talk to them later, let’s focus on the fact that our friends are dead and we don’t know why,” James snapped at him before turning back to look out at the clearing. A few minutes went past before he heard more rustling and saw Jakob’s head pop up over some bushes across the clearing. James held up his hand and caught his attention before gesturing towards where he knows Aleks is hiding. Jakob nods at him before disappearing back into the trees.

“James? Joe?” He heard Trevor whisper a few seconds later before he saw him appear through the foliage. 

“Hey Trev, where’s everyone else?” Joe whispered back.

“That way, Aleks is trying to keep an eye on our way back, Brett and Jakob are waiting for your instruction on what to do,” Trevor said the last part while pointing at James.

“Alright, alright ok, so it’s up to me?” James looked between both of them. Joe nodded at him while Trevor shrugged at him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Ok, go back to Brett, tell him that I need him back here. We’re gonna pull down Asher and Anna and take them back to the cabin. I want Aleks and you Joe to take point and lead the way, staying in visual range and clearing the way. Trevor, you and Jakob take the back, watch our six and make sure we’re never out of eye range.”

“Got it, I’ll send Brett back to you before I come back with Jakob. Joe, wanna come with me?”

“Yeah, you gonna be good alone for a few minutes?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just hurry,” James tightened his grip on his gun and nodded at them. “Now get out of here, the sooner we’re safe in the cabin the better.”

Joe gave him an appraising look before nodding and following Trevor back through the woods. James took a deep breath and held himself perfectly still, listening to the sounds of the woods and listening for anything unusual. The next few moments until Brett appeared passed without any issues.

“You ok James?” Brett whispered as he approached.

“Not even close. We need to get the fuck out of here.”

“Agreed. C’mon, let’s get them down and get the fuck out.”

They moved out into the clearing slowly and carefully, watching each other's back. When they made it to the bodies James faced the clearing and kept his gun up while Brett pulled down first Asher and then Anna. He passed Anna to James and lifted Asher himself before they turned and walked to where the others were waiting for them.

“Alright, you guys know the plan?” James asked, shifting Anna to an easier position to hold.

“Yeah, it should only take us about ten minutes if we hurry. And we should hurry,” Joe said, trying not to look at the bodies.

“Then let’s move,” Aleks jerked his head and led Joe away, holding his gun up in position. After a few moments, James and Brett followed them, when they were almost out of view but not quite. They moved silently through the woods and before long the house came back into view, and James took his first real breath since they found out Anna and Asher were missing. 

Aleks and Joe had already disappeared into the house by the time Brett and James made it to the porch, Jakob and Trevor just behind them. James saw Aleks slip upstairs and Joe was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.

“Let’s put them over there,” Brett broke the silence and led James to the corner, where he put down Asher. James set Anna down next to him before going over and collapsing next to Joe. Trevor was sitting in the doorway and Jakob was looking around the main room.

“Where’s Lindsey?” Jakob finally asked, causing James to jerk up.

“I’m here! Sorry! I was in the study and I found something!” Lindsey said as she came around the staircase. James collapsed on the couch again and groaned. 

“Lindsey, what the fuck?”

“Oh calm the fuck down, I was probably the safest here. I was completely fortified,” Lindsey glared at him for a second before her gaze softened and she sighed. “I thought I’d be out here when you got back but I mistimed it, I’m sorry James.”

“It’s fine, sorry I snapped. I’m just on edge.”

“What did you find Linds?” Trevor asked, standing up and looking wrecked.

“Some sort of secret passage, wanna see?” 

“You guys can look at it but don’t go through it. Not yet at least. I’m gonna go check on Aleks,” Brett said pointing at both of them before looking at James questioningly. James shook his head and closed his eyes, missing the glare that Brett sent at him. Brett stormed up the stairs while Joe smacked James in the chest.

“What the fuck!?”

“You’re being a fucking idiot. Go talk to them, apologize a million times, and then beg for them to forgive you because right now you’re gonna lose them if you keep this up.”

James groaned and buried his face in his hands. “How do I make them understand?”

“I think you’re underestimating them, they understand why you’re acting the way you are. But you need to apologize and let them know that you know it’s fucked up.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” James stood up and looked around, noticing that Jakob and Trevor had gone with Lindsey back to the study and it was just him and Joe in the main room now. He squared his shoulders before climbing the stairs and walking to the master room. He hesitated outside the door, listening to the muted voices of his boyfriends talking on the other side. After a moment he knocked and they went silent for a minute before the door swung open. 

“Oh. If you’re here to yell more you can go the fuck back downstairs,” Aleks glared at him and started to slam the door shut. James caught the door and gave Aleks a pleading look.

“I’m here to apologize.”

“Really? Let him in, I want to hear this,” Brett called from inside. Aleks let go of the door and turned back into the room, dropping down onto the bed and continuing to glare at him. Brett was leaning next to the window and glancing out every few minutes.

“So you’re here to apologize?” Brett asked, studying him. 

“Yeah,” James rubbed his arm, feeling small under their scrutiny. “I’ve been a real asshole, and I keep taking my fears out on you two and that’s not fair. You two haven’t done anything wrong and you don’t deserve how I’ve been treating you. I’m sorry guys, I really am.”

“James,” Brett came over and touched his arm. “We understand that you’re stressed and everything going on is fucked up. We do, we get it. But James you can’t push us away right now. Especially right now, we need each other.”

“I know, I know. It’s just so fucking hard,” James started to say before Aleks was suddenly standing in front of him.

“No. Nope. Fuck you. Trust us you asshole! We’re your partners, emphasis on ‘Partners’. We’re your equals in this, equals in this crew, equals in this world. I know you’re the leader of the crew but you need us and we’re not somehow beneath you.”

“I know that Aleks, I know I’m sorry,” James reached up to touch his face but suddenly the windows were blown in as something outside exploded. They were all thrown to the floor as the whole house shook, Aleks landing on top of James and Brett a few feet away. As soon as the house stopped shaking Aleks was off like a shot, running out of the room and down the stairs. Brett ran to the window with his gun up and ready to shoot, James only hesitated a second before he took off after Aleks.

“What the fuck was that!” Trevor demanded as he slid out of the kitchen into the main room. James caught himself on the first landing and took stock of everyone. Aleks was next to the front door, braced with his gun in his hand, Trevor, Jakob, and Lindsey were between the dining room and the kitchen. 

“Let’s find out,” Aleks ripped open the front door and darted outside.

“Aleks!” James hissed before jumping down the rest of the stairs and following him. He almost stumbled into Aleks who was standing frozen on the porch, staring at the remains of their van.

“Jesus Christ,” Aleks barely breathed out the words. James grabbed his arm and dragged him back into the cabin.

“What’s going on out there?” Lindsey demanded as they stumbled back in the door. Brett had appeared at the top of the stairs, the others were spread around the bottom of the stairs.

“Our car’s blown to hell, whoever killed Asher and Anna doesn’t want us to leave,” James said, dropping down next to the door. Aleks sank down next to him and rested his hand on his arm.

“We need to get out of here, or call for help or something!” Jakob said, reaching for his phone.

“No service, I already checked,” Trevor held up his own phone before chucking it at the wall.

“Well fuck this, I’m not dying here,” Jakob suddenly ran past them and out the front door. James scrambled to stand up to follow him but Aleks grabbed his arm and jerked him back down while Joe ran after Jakob.

“Joe! Jakob!” James screamed as he struggled against Aleks’ grip. The door slammed shut and suddenly Brett was in front of him, helping Aleks hold him down.

“James! James breathe,” Brett said, pressing their foreheads together:

“We have to get them back, we shouldn’t split up.”

“I know, I know, but Jakob’s freaking out right now and Joe will bring him back. If we all go out there we’re never gonna make it.”

“Ok, ok alright. So what do we do?”

“Weapons,” Aleks spoke up. “Get all the weapons we have in this house and fortify ourselves in the kitchen and in the study.”

“That’s a plan. Trevor, you stay here and keep watch out the front window for Joe and Jakob. Lindsey you and I are gonna tear apart this floor and fortify the back two rooms. Aleks and James you two take upstairs,” Brett studied James for a second before pressing a kiss to his head. “We’re gonna get out of this. I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep Hundar,” James gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand. 

“C’mon, let’s get started,” they spent the next forty minutes alternating between weapon checks and blocking windows to fortify the house. Trevor helped when he could but he spent the rest of the time pressed to the window keeping an eye out for Joe and Jakob to come back.

As they approached the hour mark Trevor suddenly stood up and yelled for everyone. He ripped open the door as everyone converged on the front room. They all saw Joe sprinting towards the house, clothes ripped and looking terrified.

“Run! They killed Jakob! Run!” He yelled before he suddenly stumbled and collapsed, the unmistakable sight of a knife in his back.

“Joe!” James yelled, starting to run out to him before Brett grabbed him yanking him back while Trevor slammed the door shut. 

Just before the door shut they all saw the unmistakable sight of the Vagabond step out of the woods, flipping a knife between his fingers, and Rimmy Tim right next to him, holding a gun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ryanthemadbitch.tumblr.com/)


	5. And They All Fall Down

Move! Back to the kitchen!” Brett yelled, dragging a still struggling James.

“Did you see who that was? We’re fucked!” James yelled, finally working with Brett and moving on his own.

“Well if we’re gonna fucking die it’s not gonna be lying down,” Aleks snapped bursting into the kitchen and taking up a defensive position. Brett followed his lead, letting James collapse and have a small breakdown in the corner. A few seconds passed and they could hear Lindsey yelling.

“Trevor! We have to go! C’mon!”

“Joe? He just-” They could barely hear Trevor's response, and not even a second later they heard the sound of something slamming into the front door. 

“Trevor!” Lindsey sounded scared and James had to fight down the urge to run into the room. A few seconds later Trevor was dragged into the room by Lindsey as they heard the front door shatter. Brett slammed the door behind them and then moved the fridge in front of the door.

“Aww, how cute. They’re hiding in the kitchen,” they could hear Rimmy Tim speaking from the other side of the door.

“Don’t they know there’s nowhere to run?” 

“Well, let’s see what we can do,” the voice of the Vagabond spoke up. A second later there was a burst of gunfire through the walls and impacting the fridge. Everyone dropped to the floor and flung themselves behind whatever cover they could.

“So, we killed their infiltration team, we killed their hacker, we killed the best friend. I wonder who we’re gonna kill next?” The Vagabond said almost conversationally to Rimmy Tim before another burst of gunfire ripped through the walls and door.

As soon as that burst ended Brett, Aleks, and James popped up and returned fire as best as they could.

“Uh oh, they’re firing back whatever shall we do?” The Vagabond was mocking them and Rimmy Tim laughed with him. They all scrambled back to cover as another onslaught of gunfire tore into the room.

“Shit! The study! We can take the tunnel,” Trevor said, edging towards the door carefully.

“Brett,” Lindsey’s voice was smaller than they were used to. They all turned to look at her and they saw her lift her hand from her stomach, both now covered in blood.

“Lindsey,” Brett’s voice broke when he said her name as he scrambled to her side.

“You guys go, get out of here. I don’t think I’m getting out any time soon,” She reached up and touched his cheek with her bloody hand. “You take care of those boys Brett. You hear me?”

Another wave of gunfire swarmed over their heads, causing everyone to flinch down.

“Brett, Brett baby we have to go,” James grabbed his arm and started trying to pull at him. Aleks was already pulling Trevor into the study and kept glancing back at them, almost hesitating. James waved him on and turned his attention back to Brett.

“Brett, go,” Lindsey lifted her gun and gave him a weak smile. “I’ll hold them off as long as I can.” 

“I- I’m sorry,” Brett choked out the words as James finally dragged him away from her and into the living room. They could still hear the gunfire from the other room, now coming from both sides of the kitchen wall.

“Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!” Brett yelled kicking the door before collapsing in front of it. 

“Brett, c’mon. I know man, I know but we can’t stop,” James said crouching next to him and tugging at his arm. Aleks and Trevor had pulled the tunnel door open and were now waiting for the other two. Brett took a deep breath and stood up, nodding at Aleks and Trevor. Aleks gave a grim nod back before starting down the ladder to the tunnel.

Just before Trevor started down they heard a crash from the kitchen and Lindsey started screaming. Brett froze and started to turn back to the door before they heard Lindsey’s voice cut out and the mocking voices of the Fake AH Crew returned.

“Well well, lucky number five taken care of.”

“Aww they found the study, they think they’ll be safe.”

“Fuck off you sick fucks!” Brett yelled back, shooting at them a few times. All he got in response was laughter before another wave of gunfire started into the room, and a body slammed into the door, causing it to buckle a little. Brett let out a cry and stumbled back before collapsing onto his back. 

“Brett!” James crawled over to him, avoiding the gunfire as much as he could. Trevor dropped down into the tunnel after giving him a regretful look.

“I’ve been hit, get out of here! I love you, tell Aleks that too,” Brett kept firing at the door, trying to slow down whoever was breaking in. James could see the growing pool of blood beneath Brett and he let out a sob.

“I love you! I’m sorry!” He crawled back to the tunnel and dropped himself in, pulling the hatch shut behind him, just as he saw the door break down and Rimmy Tim enter the room. He heard Brett yelling and the sounds of gunfire for a second before everything went quiet.

“We have to move,” James started pushing Aleks and Trevor down the tunnel.

“What happened to Brett, James what happened!” Aleks fought him for a second before letting James push him along.

“He’s gone, I couldn’t stop it, I’m sorry,” James shoved the need to cry down. He could see Aleks eyes shining with unshed tears in the low light of the tunnel. They started moving down the tunnel when they heard the sound of the hatch opening again.

“Aww, down to the last three,” Rimmy Tim’s voice cut through the silence. “Well, even though this has been fun I’m over it.”

With that, they watched as he dropped an object into the room and the hatch slammed shut again. There wasn’t even a second of silence before Trevor was shoving them back and throwing himself on top of the object. James reacted before Aleks could and yanked him further down the tunnel. They only got a few more feet before an explosion rocked the tunnel sending them sprawling to the ground, lessened only a little by Trevor’s sacrifice.

The tunnel shook and rocks and dirt fell from the ceiling and the wall, coating Aleks and James where they had fallen. After a few moments the shaking stopped, and James slowly sat up and looked behind them. The entire tunnel where they had come from was collapsed, with bits and pieces of the room above them still falling into the room. James coughed the dust and dirt out of his lungs before he turned to Aleks, who still hadn’t moved.

“Aleks? Aleks please!” James frantically scrambled at Aleks, looking for a pulse or breath or anything to indicate he was alive. After a few seconds he found Aleks’ pulse, faint and thready but still there. James let out a sigh of relief before he started checking Aleks over for any injuries. He found a small cut on his head, from where he hit his head when he fell, but no other noticeable injuries.

“Ok, alright. We can do this babe, we have to get out of here,” James whispered to Aleks’ unconscious body before lifting him up and over his shoulder. He lifted his gun with the hand not supporting Aleks and slowly started walking down the tunnel. After a few minutes, he decided it was too quiet and started talking to himself and Aleks to fill the silence, while also keeping an ear out for The Vagabond or Rimmy Tim.

“You remember back when we met? You were just a skinny little ratty fuck, skittish as fuck man. You came in with Sly, and man I was fucking gone for you immediately. I didn’t know it yet, and I’m still not sure how you got me, with the hair you had and your whole personality but man I was gone,” James paused as he heard a sound but another moment later he started moving and speaking again. “You started to make me more impulsive, we took risks and man it was fun. We had so much fun, and I don’t regret it. None of it. Not leaving the Hub, not starting Fake Chop, not dating you, not dating Brett. Everything that happened in the last five years has been better than the twenty-three years before that.”

“Aww,” Aleks’ voice suddenly cut in. “You big old softie.”

“Aleks!” James breathed out his name as he slowly lowered them both down to the ground. Aleks groaned as he was shifted off of James’ shoulder.

“Are you ok?” Aleks asked, touching the side of James’ head causing him to flinch. He suddenly became aware of the aches and injuries that he had sustained.

“I’m, well I’m not fine but I’m alive,” James caught Aleks’ hand in his own and pressed their foreheads together. “We’ve gotta get out of here, c’mon can you stand?”

“Yeah, I can,” Aleks pressed a kiss to James’ hand and took a deep breath.

“Alright, c’mon Aleks.”

They used the wall and each other to slowly get to their feet and follow the path towards whatever was at the end.

“You know, I don’t regret it either,” Aleks said after a minute of silence. “None of it, even if we die here today. I would rather die here with you, on the same day as Brett, than live the rest of my life without ever having known or loved either of you.”

“Aleks-“

“No. I’m serious, you picked me, and I picked you. We picked Brett and he, against probably all better judgment, picked us. I don’t regret it, Brett didn’t regret it. The only thing I regret right now is taking that damn deal with Ramsey and not listening to you,” Aleks rested his head against James' shoulder as they walked.

“I won’t say it’s alright, but I do understand. I know why you didn’t call off this deal just because of a bad feeling I had,” James pressed a kiss to the crown of Aleks’ head.

“It’s my fault, I should have listened to you, known there was more to Ramsey’s game than just what we saw.”

“That’s not just on you, that’s on me too. I could have vetoed, but I just complained. But Aleks, how about we save the pity party and heart to heart for when we’re safe.”

Aleks gave a quick nod before they walked the rest of the way in silence. After another few minutes, they came to the end of the tunnel, finding another ladder and hatch like before.

“Age before beauty,” Aleks said gesturing for James to climb the ladder first. James rolled his eyes but climbed the ladder first, slowly pushing the hatch open. He poked his head up and glanced around. The hatch let out in a small shed that was filled with weapons, and there wasn’t a single person in sight. James pulled himself out of the tunnel and gestured for Aleks to follow him. James started poking around the room while Aleks pulled himself out of the tunnel after him. 

“Look at all this shit Aleks,” James poked at what appeared to be a grenade launcher.

“Damn, that’s a lot of-“ the sound of a gunshot rang out and Aleks let out a surprised cry. James whirled around and saw Aleks collapsed against the wall, holding his hand to his stomach.

“Aleks,” James' voice was small as he ran to Aleks’ side.

“I,” Aleks started before coughing up blood. “I’m sorry, I love you, I’m sorry.” 

“Aleks, Aleks please don’t leave me,” James had pulled Aleks into his arms and was only focused on him.

“I’m sorry,” Aleks whispered out pressing his hand to his cheek for a second before his hand dropped as the life flowed out of him.

“Aleks,” James let out a sob as he curled around Aleks’ body. 

“Huh, I guess he was right about you guys, you were very interesting,” James whirled around as the voice of the Vagabond cut into the room.

“You fuck!” James grabbed Aleks’ gun and fired three shots right into the Vagabond’s chest. He looked down at his chest for a second before collapsing to the ground. James kept his gun up waiting for Rimmy Tim to make an appearance, but before Rimmy Tim could appear the Vagabond stood back up again.

“Aww, I liked this shirt,” the Vagabond looked down at his chest before looking back at James. “Well, end of the line buddy.”

And James heard a bang and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ryanthemadbitch.tumblr.com/)


	6. The End

James came awake in a dark room, unaware of much but the soft sheets and comfortable bed he was laying on. He struggled to remember the circumstances that had led to him being here. As he glanced around he became aware of the fact that he was completely alone, and the room was mostly empty. 

“What the fuck,” he groaned as he sat up, rubbing at an ache in his forehead. As soon as he touched his forehead it all came flooding back, the cabin, the attack, the Fake AH Crew. He threw the blankets off the bed and launched himself up, worrying about his crew and where he was. He grabbed the handle of the door and flung it open, stumbling into a brightly lit room where he saw Aleks standing in Geoff Ramsey’s face and digging a knife into his throat.

“If he doesn’t wake up soon I’m going to find a way to make sure you stay dead,” Aleks growled at him, digging the knife in enough to draw blood.

“Aleks,” James croaked, sagging against the doorway as he saw the rest of his crew scattered throughout the room, safe and alive. Aleks whirled around when he heard James’ voice, dropping the knife and staring at him. Brett stood up and walked right up to James, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Holy shit, James,” Brett pulled back and studied his face. “You were still out of it for a day longer than Aleks, and the Vagabond promised he killed you immediately after.”

“Yeah, uh you’re not dead?” James said, tightening his grip on the back of Brett’s shirt and keeping him close. “Or, we’re all dead and this is the afterlife?”

“James,” Aleks stepped into their space and pressed his forehead to James’. “Fuck man, I thought you weren’t going to come back.”

“I told you everything would be fine, some people take longer to wake up,” Geoff said from the other side of the room. Aleks tensing up was the only warning James got before Aleks pulled out another knife and launched it at Ramsey. James glanced over and saw Ramsey fall with the knife embedded in his chest. A second later he stood up and pulled it out, scowling at the fresh flow of blood.

“I think it would probably be best if you shut the fuck up about our boss you fuck,” Joe said, glaring at Ramsey from where he was leaning against a wall. Ramsey held up his hands in surrender and took a step back, letting them have their moment. Brett and Aleks pulled James into the room and set him down on the couch standing behind him and letting the rest of the crew get hugs from him.

“So are we dead? What the fuck is happening?” James said as his crew settled around him, Aleks and Brett at his back, Trevor and Jakob at his feet, Joe and Asher at his side, and Lindsey and Anna next to them. Everyone but himself had a weapon of some sort and they were all pointing them at Ramsey.

“Well, explain it to him,” Brett said, resting a hand on James' shoulder.

“Alright,” Ramsey sat down in a chair across from them and considered them. “Well, I want to start off by saying nothing we did was personal. It was a test of sorts but it was not entirely personal. We weren’t lying when we said that we were fond of you and your crew.”

“Uh-huh. Which is why you killed us all, because you were fond of us,” James said completely deadpan. “And let’s get back to that, why the fuck are we alive again, I watched all of them die. I felt myself die.”

“You’re immortals now. Just like my crew, and the Fakehaus crew, and any other crew within my syndicate. When I bring in new crews they are all tested in different ways to ensure that they are a good fit for our syndicate, make sure they will mesh with us and make sure that we like you. Your test was specifically to make sure that the crew would defend the boss and the boss would defend the crew. We tested your instincts and how much you cared about each other. And you surprised us, I’ve never seen a crew that fought so hard to keep their boss alive or a boss who fought so hard to get all of his crew out of the situation.”

“So we didn’t get a say in immortality?”

“No, but would you turn it down?”

“I don’t know, but I would have liked to have the option! I mean fuck dude, you left us having a weekend of straight-up horror and then apparently I was unconscious for a week while my crew dealt with the aftermath, and now we’re going to live forever,” James suddenly exploded up, yelling at Ramsey. 

“I understand that, but it also wasn’t our choice. This is how it has to be. None of us have ever had a choice it just happens to us, but at least you get someone to explain it to you,” Geoff ran his hands over his face. James narrowed his eyes at him.

“So, when you became immortal you weren’t even told why?” 

“Nope, that was back when I was with the Founding Fathers. All of us were taken and killed separately, and then we all woke up together. Through some trial and error, we figured out what was going on. Then we split up, Burns and Sorola made the Cockbites, I made the Fake AH Crew, Hullum went and took over the city, and Heyman disappeared. The Cockbites and the Fake AH Crew have both gone through the same thing but in different ways. We technically still don’t know who gave us our immortality but when we found out we could pass it on we made sure to stick around.”

“That’s- a lot of information to process all at once,” James collapsed back down onto the couch, burying his face in his hands.

“I know, let me try and cut it down a little. You’re immortal, we picked you, we can leave and give you some time to adapt if you want.”

“This is irreversible?” James clarified, studying him with new eyes.

“As far as we can tell, but it’s really not that bad.”

“Can we have some space to think about what our next move is going to be?” James leaned back into Brett’s arms.

“Of course,” Geoff stood up and gave them an appraising look. “We wouldn’t give you this if we didn’t think you could handle this.”

“Alright,” Aleks walked around the couched and started leading him out. “But you don’t know us.”

“I know you better than you think,” Geoff left the room with that statement, leaving them in silence.

“Oh my god,” James sat for a second in silence before he burst into laughter. Trevor leaned on his leg and joined his laughter, while Brett collapsed on his shoulders giggling.

“So this is fucking insane,” Asher said, throwing his arm around Brett’s shoulders.

“Oh my god we’re immortal,” Aleks pressing his hands to his eyes before pushing his way into James’ lap. James threw an arm around his waist and his other hand he buried in Brett’s hair. After a second the entire crew ended up dogpiled on James, all of them drawing comfort from the fact that they were alive and together again.

“So,” James finally said from the bottom of the dog pile. “What exactly are we going to do about the fact that we can’t die.”

“Well, we can’t change it,” Anna said after a second.

“So we should make the most of it,” Asher finished her thought with a grin towards her. 

“How?” Jakob asked.

“By becoming the menaces of Los Santos. The police already think we’re crazy so let’s do the crazy shit we never could before,” Aleks had a light in his eyes that did not bode well for the continuation of the city.

“We can’t destroy the place,” Brett argued.

“No, but we can die on heists now. As long as they don’t get our bodies or fuck even if they do we can just walk the fuck out of the morgue. We can rob places that we shouldn’t be able to. We can become legends,” Aleks was grinning now and he had Asher, Jakob, and Trevor on his side.

“And we will never lose each other, not to time, not to a heist,” James said, looking first into Aleks’ eyes and then turning to look at Brett.

“Oh fuck yeah, alright fine. I still reserve the right to beat the fucking Vagabond to death at least once but if we’re seriously going to stay in fucking crime with this then I’m in,” Brett said before pressing a kiss to James’ head.

“Oh I want to do that too, can I do that too?” James asked, getting excited at the idea of killing the man who haunted them all weekend.

“I should warn you, I met him outside of costume and he was drinking a diet coke and wearing dad jeans so if you think you can kill a man like that then good on you,” Lindsey said, laughing a little before standing up and stretching. “C’mon Anna, there’s new shit we need to do at the warehouse now, you coming Joe?”

“Yeah, anyone who doesn’t need to do work at the warehouse should just go home, sleep in their own beds. God fucking relax after this hell of a weekend,” Brett scrubbed his hand down his face and gestured for everyone to leave the room.

“Good deal Brett, see you Monday,” Asher was already halfway to the door.

“Next Monday! Have some vacation time! I don’t want to see you for at least a week, any of you.”

“Awesome,” Trevor and Jakob hurried after Asher, already making plans for all the nothing they were going to do in their vacation time. After everyone left Brett walked around the couch and helped Aleks and James stand up.

“Awww, no we were comfortable,” Aleks pouted before he jumped onto Brett’s back.

“Baby, and we’re going home,” Brett adjusted Aleks on his back before catching James’ hand and walking out of the room.

“So where the fuck are we?” James asked, taking in his surroundings for the first time.

“Some Fake AH safe house. They brought us here to “respawn” as they called it.”

“Uh-huh, they’re all nerds aren’t they.”

“Oh my god yes, when we weren’t trying to kill them they were just fucking nerds.”

They all fell silent as they left the safehouse and saw Brett’s car sitting out front, with the keys in the door.

“God, they’re so fucking creepy,” James said after a second.

“Agreed,” Brett and Aleks chorused as Aleks dropped off of his back. They all climbed into the car and drove to Brett’s house in silence, all of them processing their new lives.

“So,” James said as they pulled up to the house. “Is this where we have a heart to heart and then cry about our new immortality?”

“Nah, this is where we all freak out and then have a heart to heart about our last weekend together before we just go the fuck to bed,” Aleks said, climbing out of the car and heading up to the front door.

“Yeah, I like his plan a lot more than yours,” Brett grinned at James before following after Aleks.

“Oh sure! Mock the man who’s been dead for a week,” James yelled after them only to receive dual middle fingers from them. He laughed before following them up and into the house. Aleks was already in the kitchen and James could hear him banging around making something, Brett had gone ahead to the bedroom. James hesitated for a second before joining Aleks in the kitchen.

“Hey.”

“Hey?” Aleks gave him a look before rolling his eyes.

“Do you need any help?”

“Sure, grab snacks while I make hot chocolate,” Aleks gestured at the pantry with a mug before turning back to the kettle he put on the stove. James grabbed a couple bags of chips and a box of goldfish before walking to the bedroom. Brett was already laying down on the bed with his arm flung over his eyes but he moved it slightly when James dropped the snacks on the bed.

“We shouldn’t eat in bed,” he mumbled, already reaching for the goldfish.

“Consequences don’t matter anymore,” James said, throwing a bag at his head.

“Now that’s what I like to hear,” Aleks said, walking in with a tray of hot chocolate.

“You have consequences within this crew asshole. And with what happens in this bed,” Brett gave him a look before eating a handful of goldfish. Aleks stuck his tongue out at Brett before setting the tray down on the side table and laying on the other side of the bed. James crawled up and laid down in between them, reaching for a cocoa.

“So,” Aleks gave him a look. “I died in your arms if I remember correctly.”

“Yeah,” James studied his mug. “It was certainly something that I don’t want to see happen again.”

“Deal, next time you can die in my arms,” Aleks said, running his fingers through James’ hair.

“Uh, how about from now on we stop dying in each other's arms,” Brett said, sitting up to give them a look.

“Oh sure, you died buying us time. That wasn’t traumatic at all,” James said, reaching out and touching his arm.

“But, now we know that next time it won’t be permanent,” Aleks said.

“Yeah, but seriously, no more dying in my arms cause that was terrible.”

“Fine, can we skip to cuddling and tv and food now?” Aleks snuggled into James said and gave him puppy eyes.

“You are a giant child,” Brett reached over and flicked his nose before throwing his arm around James’ shoulder and resting his hand on the back of Aleks’ neck.

“So, what are we watching?” James asked, reaching for the remote.

“Disney,” Aleks said, at the same time that Brett said, “Anything that isn’t violent.”

“Great! Meet the Robinsons it is,” James set it up before snuggling back into their arms. They all snuggled and watched movies all night, until they fell asleep, basking in the warmth of each other and the knowledge that they weren’t going to lose each other anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, who stuck with this fic and left kudos and comments!! And a very special thanks to We-Killed-Parker for everything they did with the writing process of the fic!! Find me on [Tumblr](https://ryanthemadbitch.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ryanthemadbitch.tumblr.com/)


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